Horseshoe.



No. 885,875. PATENTED NOV. 13, 1906. 0. G. WILFONG.

HORSESHOB.

APPLIOATI ON FILED JULY 5. 1906.

W/TNESES 5% Wm M CHARLES G. WILFCNG, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK P.. AUTEN, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

HORSESHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Application filed July 5,1906. Serial No. 324.883.

-To all whom it may concern:

Y the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a horseshoe embodying my invention, part of the pad being broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pad removed looking at the inner face of the pad. Fig. 3 is a section on line 00 as, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line 2 z, Fig. 1.

This invention relates to improvements in horseshoes, more particularly to that class of horseshoes known as softtread or safety horseshoes.

The object of this invention is to provide in a horseshoe of this class means for preventing the shoe when in place upon the hoof of the horse from becoming loose. To this end the invention consists in the construction hereinafter set forth.

The horseshoe which I have shown in the drawings and in which my invention is embodied comprises a metal base 1, the upper surface of which is adapted to fit the horses hoof in a manner similar to the ordinary horseshoe. The lower face of this base 1 is provided with flanges 2, between which is inserted a pad 3 of suitable material, such as rubber or rubber compound, which pad is held in place by means of inwardly-turned flanges 4, adjacent the heel portions of the shoe, which engage slots 5 in the corresponding portion of the pad 3, and by an inwardlyturned flange 6', adjacent the toe portion of the shoe, which engages an offset 7 in the pad.

In horseshoes of the general construction above described it has heretofore been common to secure the shoe to the hoof by means of usual horseshoe-nails passed through parallel-sided holes in the thin base portion 1 of the metal portion of the shoe prior to putting the rubber pad 3 in place. The said base portion 1 was, however, of such thin metal that the heads of the nails would stand out from the under side of said base, the rubber pad being suitably cut away to form recesses for said nailheads,' but as a horseshoe-nail head is tapered and its tapered side provided with serrations adapted to engage the corresponding walls of the usual tapered holes of the ordinary unpadded horseshoe in the above-described constru tions of shoes the said serrations of the nail-heads did not engage the sides of the holes, and after the shoe had been worn for a very brief time it would work slightly loose, whereupon moisture would get in between the base 1 and the hoof and working up the nail into the hoof would soften or rot the same and the nails would become quite loose, and so the horseshoe ineflicient.

In carrying out my invention I rovide the lower face of the base 1 with an e evated portion 8 of a thickness substantially equal to the length of a head of a horseshoe-nail, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, and through said ele vated portion and base 1 are provided nailholes 9, having upwardly-tapering walls of substantially the contour of the nail-heads. The pad 3 is provided with an offset portion 10, so that when the pad is seated in place upon said base it will snugly fit the same. However, as the heads of the horseshoe-nails are slightly rounded I provide in the face of the said offset portion 10 of the pad 3 a groove 11 to accommodate said round heads, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The manner of applying my shoe to the hoof is as follows: The pad 3 not being in place upon the base 1 the latter is fitted to the hoof and the nails driven home into the hoof through the holes 9, the serrated edges of the nail-heads engaging the sides of the tapering slots, and thereby securely holding the shoe to the hoof. The pad 3 is then inserted between the flanges 2, and the heel ends of said pad are slipped backwardly so that the slots 5 are engaged by the inwardly turned flanges 4. Then the toe portion of the pad is sprung into place, the offset 7 engaging under the inwardly-turned flange 6. The shoe being now in place and ready for use it will be observed that no moisture can reach the nail-heads because of the underlying pad 3, and by reason of the holes 9 being tapered upwardly and of substantially the same depth as the nail-head whose serrations engage the walls thereof the base 1 is firmly held to the hoof, allowing no moisture to intrude therebetween.

tially equal to that of a horseshoe-nail head;

o AVAILABLE CQPY Having thus described invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A horseshoe comprising a metallic base, provided with inner and outer peripheral downwardly-turned flanges, between which is inserted and held a pad of suitable material the lower surface of said base adjacent the said outer flange being provided with an elevated portion having upwardly-tapering nail-holes therethrough, of a depth substansaid pad being provided with an oflset portion corresponding with the said elevated portion of said base, said ofiset portion being provided with a groove therein in line with said nail-slots, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CHARLES G. WILFONG.

Witnesses:

SADIE I. HARPER, WALTER O. PUSEY. 

